Unattainable
by Rowan Mikaio
Summary: Post OotP AU.  Harry is dealing with the loss of Sirius, and trying to make sure that none of his friends meet the same end.  Then he learns that the Dark Lord has something and Harry MUST have it.  This time Harry wants a happy end.  RH but insignificant
1. 01 Mornings and Mournings

Chapter 1

Mournings and Mornings

A lone man, face covered despite the heat, sauntered down the street of the small town. Passing into the outskirts, he came upon an old, run-down house; obviously once quite regal, it was now completely abandoned: a horrible ruin. Grinning, he stepped inside.

Searching the old house, he saw many things, though disturbed and broken, which interested him. However, he smiled triumphantly to see an ornate silver comb lying next to a jewellery box that had rotted in its lack of use. _What a waste_, he thought. _It was more trouble than it was worth. This time, though, I'll make sure it's worth my while to visit._ His insides churned as he picked up the comb and extracted a single, wispy, and decayed red hair. How it was still intact he daren't marvel, but it was good enough. Cackling, he conjured a cauldron and began to work. School had just ended, which meant that he had little time to finish his project.

&&&&&

Harry Potter felt absolutely miserable. There was no other word for it. He was ten days into his yearly internment, back with the Dursleys after the disaster that had been his fifth year. Unfortunately, despite threats from Auror Tonks and Mad-Eye Moody, his relatives still didn't seem to feel the need to treat him any better. They simply had to _appear_ to be treating him well, so as to not incur the ire of the aforementioned aberrations. Only two months of feeding the boy, allowing him to go outside occasionally, and keeping all of the threats at a whisper before he was gone again, and they could live in peace.

However, this year, they had done two things that had made Harry's existence more peaceful since he had returned from Hogwarts. They had allowed him to study. He had his books in his room, with parchment on his desk, and his owl not locked in her cage. They had also given him free reign to mope.

Mope was the one thing that Harry Potter had done more than anything else so far. He had mourned Sirius' passing. He had mourned for Neville, and his encounter with, essentially, his parent's murderer. Neville's parents, though alive, were only shells of people, with no cognitive functions. Harry mourned for those who had gone into the Department of Mysteries with him, as they had lost any and all innocence that they might have had. Hermione was quickly recovering from the spell cast at her, but everyone was worried about what side effects Ron might experience from having had several brains try to connect to his nervous system.

That was how things continued for about ten days, until Harry got a short note, completely impersonal, which had churned his insides, rent his heart in two, and yet, helped him grow up and go on. A note that had made him re-evaluate everything.

_Dear Mister Potter,_

_It is my unfortunate duty to inform you of the reading of the final will and testament of the late Sirius Black. The reading will take place in a private room in Gringotts, only open to those named within the will, on July 12__th__. Please be there at 9:00 A.M. so that we may begin._

_Goblin Flanzka _

_A will,_ Harry thought. _He's really gone_. He had settled himself down to mope again, blaming himself as he had done for the past two weeks, and indeed, the past year, staring when Cedric had died, when a new thought entered his head. _He'll be the last one. I'll make sure that he's the last one._ It was then that Harry realized that it was up to him, and him alone, to ensure that Sirius _was_ the last one. It was the last time Harry would let himself be wooed by Voldemort, and it was the last time that Harry wouldn't be ready, both to save someone in need, or to fight.

It was this resolve that had created a new Harry. From then on, he was going to get up early to go exercise each morning, running in the park. This lasted for two days, until an old man had asked for his help carrying groceries.

"Sure" was Harry's cheerful reply.

"Come on, this way then. Wotcher!" Harry heard this and grinned. The old man, surely Tonks, continued, "are yeh sure its safe fur a boy like yeh to be out here alone? I don't think it's a good idea. Yeh might get mugged. Oh, here we are then. Thanks to yeh." And with that, Tonks took the bags and continued on.

Harry had interpreted this as meaning that he shouldn't leave the house alone, as death eaters might find him. This meant that Harry could be seen running and exercising in the sitting room in the early morning, in lieu of his trips to the park, and taking a shower early enough that he could fix himself breakfast, eat, and then cook for the Dursleys before they could get up to complain.

In addition to exercise, Harry had taken to studying for long hours. He finished all of his homework in a crazed rush, and then threw himself into a massive revision for start of term. He knew that he was starting his NEWTS, and he would have to be prepared for start of term. However, having nothing to do but chores and homework, and since the Dursleys were reluctant to make Harry do too much of anything, (especially hard work outside, where he could be seen) Harry was soon running out of things for which he could review. He'd memorised the potions recipes they'd covered in class. He'd studied advanced transfiguration techniques, including the Animagus transformation (after all, human transformations were sixth-year material). He had even memorised the meanings of the Tarot deck, despite his antipathy for divination and his desire to drop the class.

The secret to Harry's studying and exercise, however, was not the extra time he got from having so little to do by way of the Dursleys, but rather, a Time-Turner. Indeed, he had found, once he looked through his things, that a Time-Turner had slipped into his pocket while he had been in the Department of Mysteries. At least, that's what Harry had assumed. Where else would the thing have come from? This Time-Turner, he found, allowed him to go back hours hours every turn, and had been immensely helpful both in allowing him to both study and to exercise. He could get up, exercise all day outside or in the sitting room, go back to sleep, and then spend the same day studying while locked in his room, since no one else in the house would go in there anyway. As long as he made no noise then no one would ever know he was there. He would repeat each day at least once, and then spend the extra time studying at night. This meant that he had at least doubled the rate at which time was passing for him.

Harry, running out of things to study, had sent off pleas to both Dumbledore and Hermione for new material. Hermione, ever-thoughtful, had sent not only several books outlining advanced defences and hexes, but had also sent him a book entitled _Seeking other Manoeuvres? _ Harry had found it to be a book that was about alternative tactics for a seeker, rather than simply seeking. Dumbledore, on the other hand, had outdone all of Harry's expectations, but not in a way Harry found pleasing.

_Harry_

_I believe I have a workable solution to both your problem and my own. You see, Harry. Now that Voldemort has shown himself to have returned, his death eaters have actively begun terrorizing the public. While you are protected at Privet Drive from Voldemort himself, the protection against the Death Eaters in his service is rather lacking. This means that Privet Drive is no longer safe for you. We have decided that it would be mutually beneficial for you to relocate to Hogwarts for the remainder of the summer._

_You would, of course, be allowed to practice spells within the school grounds, and you would be able to continue the exercising regiment that you have recently begun. I believe that the house elves would also be able to direct you to a room in which you could find proper gym equipment. I'm almost certain that your friend Dobby would know where to go._

_A team will be coming to retrieve you from Privet Drive on the 12__th__ of July at 8:00 AM. This will allow you to spend the day at Diagon Alley, shopping as you wish, after hearing Sirius' will._

_Albus Dumbledore_

_P.S. I have included a few books so that you might have a choice of reading for the next few days. I hope you enjoy the selection._

Harry was outraged! Again, Dumbledore had made the decision as to what would be best for Harry without deigning to ask Harry his opinion. The last time Dumbledore had done anything like this had been his decision that Harry would take occlumency lessons, and that he would take them from Snape. Harry couldn't believe Dumbledore. After their talk in his office at the end of the year, Dumbledore was manipulating Harry's life again!

Calming down, Harry realized that Dumbledore had only tried to help, and was trying to get Harry out of the Dursley household as soon as possible. Indeed, it was something for which Harry had been asking for ages. He just concluded that he would have to talk to Dumbledore once he had gotten to school to make sure that something like this didn't happen again.

This decided, he turned to the package that had come with the letter, and found a case containing a shrinking charm, and when he pulled the contents out, he found they enlarged by themselves, presenting several books including _Dueling Basics_ and _There and Back Again, an Apparation Primer_. Almost giddily, he opened the second, and began to read.

&&&&&

As the cauldron simmered away, the man in the old house began to chant. He had a long way to go before he finished, but he had plenty of time, and he didn't trust this task to anyone else. It was too important to allow anyone else the opportunity to mess it up. His incantation, surprisingly, didn't echo in the ruins. They faded into nothingness, absorbed by the æther, and collected for his purposes. Once the chant was concluded, he lowered the heat until the cauldron was merely warm to the touch.

He was finished for now. The potion had to sit in this cauldron for twenty-seven days, before being transferred to a gold cauldron, and he needed the rest of the ingredients before then. He couldn't miss the opportunity. He wanted his project to be complete as soon as possible. It had to be ready for his…celebration. He turned away from the cauldron and apparated out of sight, to return in twenty-seven days.

&&&&&

Harry was becoming agitated. It was now 8:02 A.M. of July the twelfth. As today was a Saturday, this unfortunately meant that all of the Dursleys were still home as well. Glad to be rid of Harry, they were currently occupying the kitchen; they were also not allowing Harry to eat, saying that he had to be ready to greet his guests when they arrived. Harry, all too willing to comply, simply as an excuse to be away from the Dursleys, had packed his things the night before, and had sent Hedwig off to Hogwarts early that morning, telling her he'd meet her there later. The Dursleys, glad as they were that Harry was leaving, were nervous that someone might see his blatant rebellion to muggle society with his owl flying out the window at night and his wearing robes, with a magical trunk in the sitting room. As such, they were being unusually quiet during breakfast, perhaps hoping that the lack of noise on their part would defer their neighbours' attentions.

Suddenly, there was a knock on the door. Harry, excited to finally be able to leave, rushed and flung the door open.

"Don't stand there, gawking, idiot boy! Grab my bags and take them upstairs!"

Aunt Marge had come to Privet Drive.

Harry was stunned. No one had told him that his aunt was coming. How could they? They knew today was the day he was leaving, that he was going to be picked up by a _magical _team. He was standing in the middle of the sitting room with his trunk full of magical paraphernalia and in his Hogwarts robes. Grumbling about his predicament, and cursing his relatives, Harry grabbed two of the bags and began climbing the stairs. He was glad that he had been working out for the past week, as he would have been, without question, unable to lift these bags before. They seemed rather heavy, regardless of his daily regiment. _Surely not…_ his thoughts began, but before he could contain himself, he opened the bag he was carrying, and inside, carefully wrapped so as to have indefinable shape, were several large cement blocks.

Harry, unable to contain his anger, picked up the bag and tossed it back down the stairs, leaving a gaping hole at the bottom.

"WHAT IN BLOODY BLAZES HAS GOTTEN INTO YOU, BOY?" His Uncle Vernon began one of his usual tirades, but Harry stopped him short.

"THAT THING JUST TRIED TO MAKE ME CARRY A BAG FULL OF NOTHING BUT CEMENT BLOCKS. DON'T YOU DARE BEGIN TO YELL AT ME!" It was this far into his diatribe that Harry found that his escort had arrived, and Tonks, Moody, and Arthur Weasley were beginning to redden in anger at the Dursleys.

"Boy!" called Marge "did you just break my things? Idiot child. I would have though you capable of carrying a bag. Obviously they haven't beaten any sense into you at St. Brutus's. Vernon, perhaps you should transfer him to a different centre. I think he's old enough now that you could have him legally committed… somewhere where they could beat him without having to worry about legalities such as his minority status!"

_Oh lovely,_ Harry thought. _At least now I _know_ I'll never have to come back to Privet Drive._

"YOU TELL PEOPLE HE GOES TO AN INSANE ASYLUM? YOU _BEAT_ HIM? HOW DARE YOU! IF WE HAD HAD ANY IDEA WHAT WENT ON IN THIS HOUSE WE WOULD HAVE BLOWN YOU TO BITS YEARS AGO! THIS IS AN INSULT TO HIS PARENTS!" Tonks had entered the tirade.

Aunt Marge, completely missing the cowering of her brother and his wife, audaciously asked "and who are you to tell him how to raise a child? What are you even doing in this house? We should call the police on you right now. As for his parents, they got what they deserved, in my opinion. I do it all the time, take bad blood out of the gene pool. It's good for the breeding of dogs. They should apply the same concept to people. It's like I've told Vernon a hundred times, if there's something wrong with the bitch, there will be something wrong with the pup. I wouldn't even have taken the boy in to begin with."

Mad-eye seemed to consider it for a moment, and then, grinning, pointed his wand at Marge.

"What do you think you're doing, pointing a stick at me? What the bloody hell do you think—" she was cut off, as she began to, once again, bloat like a balloon.

"Figured you might have had the right idea last time this happened, lad. She certainly fits the hot air she's got, now." Mad-eye was grinning, his eye watching Marge float behind him. Tonks was actually laughing, her hair turning from vivid purple to a soft blonde and back, over and over again. Mr. Weasley, however, looked abashed.

"Now Mad-eye, you know you can't do this. This is what my office is completely against. While I understand that, in this case, action is warranted, I don't think this will help muggle-wizarding relations. Perhaps something less exaggerated is in order? I personally think we should take Harry and go, and perhaps come back later to take care of this. Tomorrow would be more appropriate, but Harry has to do some shopping today, and he has other things to do today, too.

I'm sorry, Mrs. Dursley" he continued, deflating her "Alastor gets a tad excited sometimes, and tends to respond rather rashly. Now, you wanted something taken upstairs? Well, since you're obviously going to have to be obliviated later anyway…" He trailed off, and instead cast a levitation charm on her bags, walking them upstairs and into the empty bedroom.

Meanwhile, Tonks repaired the hole in the floor while threatening to add a few similar holes to Vernon's face. "Don't think you're going to get out of this easily. I've finally seen how you treat Harry, and I'll be back to deal with it. We're going to have child services here tomorrow. Oh, and don't think about bothering to clean up… we'll be able to make the house just like it is now, if you were planning on throwing away evidence. Even if you burn it, I can make it come back, and if I find you've destroyed or messed with anything incriminating, I'll just have to… make something up… to take it's place. One way or the other, you will be prosecuted for this, and there are many other things I'm going to ask Harry about." She said this while giving Harry a pointed look that told him he was going to get a thorough tongue-lashing for neglecting to properly explain the situation at home. "In the meantime," she continued, "I will leave Marge stunned upstairs, and will contact an auror and obliviator to assess the situation here. However, they will not be fooled by lying, so don't bother trying. The consequences will be… severe." She left the last word hanging as she, Harry, Mad-eye and Arthur walked out the door of Privet Drive, and portkeyed away.

&&&&&

AN

This isn't my first try writing this fic. However, I gave up over and over because 1)my hard drive crashed...

I rewrote it

2)Word uninstalled itself and all of its components (including text files..)

I rewrote it

3)I had to put a new OS because it hated me

I didn't rewrite it for over a year.

But here's a fresh attempt.

Let me know what you all think. I'm terribly self-conscious of anything artistic and creative. Be nice, please ;;


	2. 02 Reading the Will

Chapter 2

Reading the Will

For the first time he could ever remember, Harry had no problems when he landed after the portkey travel. He mused that it might have something to do with his new physique due to his exercise and growth spurt, or perhaps simply the increased self-confidence that the physical changes induced. It was only after these musing that Harry realized that he was now standing in the middle of Diagon Alley. He saw many changes in the street. There were now many fewer people outside, and they tended to travel in groups, and no young children were present at all.

Tonks was still seething, and immediately walked over to a pair of men standing off to the side of the alley. From the snatches of conversation that Harry could gather, he took these men to be a pair of aurors guarding the alley. After a few minutes of discussion, of which Harry thought he knew the topic, one of the men nodded and apparated away. Tonks came back towards the group with a malicious grin on her face. "A group of aurors will soon be discharged to take the Dursley family into custody for charges of child abuse. Later, Harry, if you would like, I can take a few memories from you to press charges, rather than you have to actually go to court. It's perfectly acceptable as evidence, and is actually preferred in cases like this, because there can be no embellishment as to the damage done, and it doesn't force the victim to come face to face with the abuser."

Harry was quite pleased at the prospect of the Dursleys finally being punished for their horrid treatment of him, and also at the fact that he didn't actually have to see them or face them at the trial. He was also glad he didn't have to testify, as that would probably involve truth serums, to which he was uncomfortable being exposed.

At this point, Harry realised that he was standing in the middle of Diagon Alley with his trunk. As he reached towards it to grab is, Arthur stepped over.

"Here, Harry, allow me to take this to Hogwarts for you now, so you don't have to carry it around all day. I'll leave it with Dumbledore, and he can decide what to do with it until you get there this evening. Harry, do you have your wand with you?" At this point, Harry nodded. "Good. Then I'll be off. Be sure to come visit us at the Burrow later in the summer, or if you can't, be sure to at least let us see you at the Platform on the first."

"I'll be sure to do that. Thanks!" Harry replied cheerily, waving goodbye to Arthur.

"Oh Harry, I almost forgot to give these to you. Here's your booklist for Hogwarts, and your OWL results." With some trepidation, Harry took the letters from Tonks. Deciding that he might as well accept the inevitable, he opened his OWL results first.

_Congratulations, Mr. Potter. Enclosed are the results of your Ordinary Wizarding Level Examinations, taken last June. These records are only an indication of general ability and may not completely reflect your results. To emphasize that these results are only estimates, take into consideration your test results in transfiguration. In this area, you received an overall grading of 'Exceeds Expectations'. This means that, during your tests, you performed on a level that exceeded the average capacity of your peers. _

_O.W.L. Results for Harry James Potter_

_Astronomy A_

_Care of Magical Creatures A_

_Charms O_

_Defense Against the Dark Arts O_

_Divination E_

_Herbology E_

_History of Magic D_

_Potions E_

_Transfiguation E_

_Thank you for your participation, and congratulations on your results_

_-Griselda Marchbanks (Head Examiner)_

Harry was astounded. Everything else was understandable, even if he didn't like it, but "Bloody Hell! How did I get an 'E' in divination?"

Tonks' eyes sparkled merrily. "Apparently, your predictions all came true for the examiner within the week. The people in the department were quite surprised to hear that you were so 'adept' at premonition.

"Oh, well that's nice then. I suppose it's better than failing, but don't expect me to take the NEWT class in September. I just wish I could have done better in potions. How the bloody hell am I supposed to be an a—" He cut off, realising that he was in the presence of two aurors, and that this could be a rather uncomfortable conversation for everyone. Deciding to move on to something more agreeable, he continued, "I hate Snape."

"Well, yes. A great many people do. Of course, a great many people hate everyone. There are more than a few people that hate me and you, you know."

Upon hearing this, Tonks couldn't help but add, "Of course people hate us, but unlike Snape, there are a great many people who do NOT hate us." Here she stopped for a second, and then continued onto a completely different track. "We've got about five minutes to get to Gringotts. That…erm… encounter… with you family meant that we spent longer at your house than expected. We'd better get going, and then you can shop this afternoon.

Once in Gringotts, they were quickly escorted through a series of corridors, twisting and turning, before they came to a door, completely unintelligible from any of the countless other that Harry had seen on the way. When the door was opened, however, Harry nearly passed out. Standing in front of him was none other than Sirius Black himself.

"Hello, Harry! How has your summer been?"

&&&&&

"Hello, Harry! How has your summer been?" Harry was dumbstruck. Here he was, after all of his moping, confronted by a life-sized portrait of his godfather. "You seem a bit awestruck," Sirius continued, grinning. "Have you seen a ghost or something?"

"Why—Why didn't anyone tell me? I was so worried. I didn't know you had a portrait! I thought I'd never get to talk to you again." Harry's eyes were becoming watery. "I thought I'd never get to apologize…"

"Harry, Harry, Harry. What makes you think you'd need to apologise? If anyone should apologise, it should be that tosser, Voldemort. No, you just need to sit down and hear what you're getting."

Harry, unable to respond, simply complied.

Once he had gotten past his initial shock of seeing his godfather sitting and smiling at him from a frame across the room, he took in the rest of his surroundings. He gasped in surprise to see Narcissa and Draco Malfoy. He also saw the Weasleys with Hermione, and Lupin was sitting by himself in a corner. There was also a Gringotts representative goblin standing just inside the door.

"Welcome, Mr. Potter. I do believe that you and Miss Tonks are the last two people explicitly named in the will that are expected to arrive. Now that you are here, we may begin. Please take a seat so that you may be addressed by the portrait."

"Wait… You mean to tell me that _they_," here he indicated the Malfoys, "are supposed to be here?"

"Yes," Sirius cut in, "I wanted both Narcissa and Draco to hear my will, as it involves both of them. Please come in and allow me to begin."

Nodding, both Harry and Tonks wandered over to a seat near Lupin, while Draco looked very smug. Moody decided that he should stand outside the door, as a guard, in case something should happen externally.

"Welcome everyone. In case you hadn't noticed, I'm dead, which it would be horribly sad if you hadn't noticed, as you received a notice to come here because I'm dead. Anyway, I'm here today to appropriate the rest of the Black family's assets. First, I'm going to get past the requirements of the head of the Black household by way of the Black Family Trust. Should any of the conditions laid out not be met within the year, said person's share of the Black Family Trust shall be expropriated, splitting its monetary value between the others involved in the Black Family Trust.

To Narcissa Malfoy, nee Black, I leave one sixth of the required 300,000 galleons of the trust, on the condition that she divorce her husband, Lucius Malfoy, renounce the Malfoy name, and disassociate herself with him and his associates. To Draco Malfoy, I leave an equal fifty-thousand galleons, under the same conditions, excepting, of course, that he does not have to divorce his husband, Lucius Malfoy." Here, Sirius had to stop for a bit, chuckling. Surprisingly, Harry noticed that Narcissa didn't even bat an eyelid at the required terms. Draco, however, showed no such restraint.

"Who does he think he is? He can't require us to leave father. How can he deny me my birthright simply based on who my father is? This is an outrage! I can't believe that—Mother, what are you doing?"

"I would have thought it was obvious that I was trying to calm you down. It is unseemly for you to make such a scene. You are not to act like a three-year-old. You are, for now, a Malfoy. You will calm down and consider the offer. We do, after all, have a year to make this decision. There is no need to be rash."

"Rash? Rash?!? How dare you insinuate something like that. Malfoys are not rash. I was simply stating my disbelief at such a comment. What do you mean 'consider the offer?' You can't honestly be thinking about following through with that, could you? He is my father!"

"Mr. Malfoy, if you cannot contain this outburst, I shall be required to ask you to vacate the room while the rest of the will is read." The goblin had felt it his duty to step in, as things seemed to be getting out of hand. Once it was quiet again, Sirius continued.

"I leave fifty-thousand each to Nymphadora Tonks and her mother Andromeda Tonks. Sorry, Tonks, but I have to be specific for the record's sake. One sixth of the trust is to go the Bellatrix Lestrange, under the conditions that she turn herself in for lifetime imprisonment in Azkaban, willingly and honestly apologize, and renounce Voldemort, truthfully and of her own will." Sirius chuckled again, ignoring the jumps at the Dark Lord's name.

The final sixth is to be retained for the continuation of this Black Family Trust.

"Finally, the required bits out of the way! Now, on to the good stuff. First, I expect Harry to receive this portrait of myself, at the end of these proceedings. Also, as of right now, Remus Lupin shall be Harry's godfather and guardian. Should this be unacceptable, he is to be put in the care of Mr. and Mrs. Arthur Weasley, on the condition that they seriously consider any council that Remus may give them, and to listen to Harry, as well. Also, he is never to return to the Dursley household.

"I will leave an extra 100,000 galleons to Andromeda Tonks, to be shared with her daughter, as repayment of the birthrights that she has not received, having been disowned from the Black Family. I also wish to give 40,000 galleons to Arthur and Molly Weasley, plus ten thousand for each of their children, Percy Weasley's on the stipulation that he both leave the minister's office and reconcile with his family. Ron and Ginny are to receive and additional ten thousand, for their help throughout the years, as well as Hermione Granger, who should receive a sum totalling 20,000 galleons also.

Now, my dear friend, Remus Lupin. My friend is to receive an allotment of 10,000 galleons per year from the Black family vault, as well as an initial 100,000. This should take care of any problems you may have with employment. You are also to take full advantage of my home in London, as well as the manorial house in Wales, as you see fit. However, please don't forget to take care of my…dog. Bucky should still be at the house, but make sure he's well fed and the like, and try to find a way to take him for a walk every once in a while, while remaining unobtrusive." This was met by a small laugh from Ron and Harry, and Hermione and Remus were smiling broadly.

"You are also," Sirius continued, "required to burn any and all robes that you currently own, and you and Harry are to buy yourselves new clothes. Remus is to buy robes, and Harry is to buy the worthwhile muggle clothes that he never had. I've appropriated five-thousand galleons to each of you. Yes, Harry, this requires you to burn your muggle clothes, just as Remus has to burn his robes. Now, everything else, including my status as Lord Black and benefactor of the Black family, is to go to Harry James Potter when he comes of age, and he is to have full access to all of the unnamed assets as of the end of this meeting. Thank you all for coming, and good day."

This finished, Draco stood up and, still vehement, immediately swept out the door. His mother followed behind, though she was slightly hesitant. Harry noticed this, and pondered what her reluctance might be.

Harry watched her leave, and then went over to Sirius' portrait, where everyone else was gathering. He started talking to Ron and Hermione first.

"Hey, you two. How has your summer been?" When they both looked away from each other, he noted their reluctance to speak. "Hermione, where are your parents? Are you staying with the Weasleys?" Deciding to embarrass her completely, he continued, "I wasn't aware that your relationship with Ron was progressing this quickly."

When he saw the blush mounting on their faces, he suspicions were confirmed.

"Well, actually, my parents just didn't feel comfortable coming the reading of a will of someone they didn't know, especially as they had only really heard horror stories about Sirius, so they opted to stay in the Leaky Cauldron for the duration of the reading. However…" here, she trailed off, and looked to Ron for help.

"What she wants to say, Harry," Fred began, grinning.

"Is that you were perfectly correct in your assessment," George continued where his twin left off.

And then, in unison, they shouted "ON THE STATE OF THEIR RELATIONSHIP!"

Crimson is not the proper term for Ron and Hermione's faces.

"Ickle Ronnie's got a girlfriend then?" Harry couldn't help but tease a little.

"Harry, Ickle Ronnie's girlfriend can hex you into the ground if she wanted to." Hermione decided that the time was right to begin defending her own honour, as it was obvious that Ron was too flustered to do it for her. "Ron asked me out as soon as you had left the platform, and everyone else gave us a chance to say goodbye. I think he was a bit scared by the fact that both of us were so injured in the Ministry, but I'm glad, either way." She looked like it, too.

"I'm glad too, Hermione." Ron finally got the nerve to speak up, and just at the right time for the twins to goad him again.

"Ron's decided that he wants to please his girlfriend, how cute. It looks like she's got him trained already. Poor Ron."

"I think it's sweet." For the first time, Harry noticed Ginny behind the twins.

"Anyway, let's go talk to Sirius. He seemed to have things he wanted to, but daren't with the Malfoys in here. It probably has to do with the Order or something."

Sure enough, Ginny was proved right as they approached the portrait, which was speaking with Arthur and Remus. "And I assume that you'll still let the Order remain at Grimmauld, won't you, Remus? I wouldn't feel right if I kicked them out just because I had died."

"Dumbledore's welcome to use it as he sees fit. After all, I can always live at the Manor in Wales if I need to. It's hardly a bother to have to floo if I need to go somewhere in London."

"Oy, Harry," Sirius finally noticed that Harry and the others had come up behind the other adults, "How has your summer been? You haven't been beating yourself up over this, I hope?" Seeing the dejected look on Harry's face, he frowned. "Harry, don't you dare blame yourself for this. Now, we all make mistakes, and personally, I feel it's time we all stopped blaming ourselves for things we couldn't possible be responsible for. It's not as if you took your wand and banished me through that thrice-damned curtain. It's my sorry excuse for a cousin, Bellatrix's fault. You had nothing to do with it, and that's all there is to say about it." Seeing that Harry was about to respond, Sirius continued. "NO! I said there's nothing else to say, so don't say anything else, or you'll have said something that wasn't there to say. You'll make a paradox of the universe, and penguins in the Arctic will explode!" With this, everyone laughed, and Harry felt himself smile.

"Oh, woe are the penguins," the twins began chorusing.

"Now Harry, I seriously want you to talk to Albus about leaving the Dursleys. I honestly don't have the authority to keep you out of there. Dumbledore is completely able to pull the strings to get you put back there, but I know that your muggle relatives are horrible, and that you have pressing issues that might require extra practice…" Here he trailed off, but Tonks picked up for him.

"You don't know how right you are. When we picked him up today, his muggles were forcing him to do nothing more than carry bags of cement blocks upstairs for no good reason at all. They're horrible. And then the whole Voldemort thing. I don't think you could have understated that any more than you did. 'Pressing issues.' Bah! If there's a good phrase for what his problems are, it's 'Bloody hell!'"

&&&&&

AN:

Just so you know, the line "it's time we all stopped blaming ourselves for things we couldn't possible be responsible for." isn't mine, but I have a stockpile of quotes I remember, but don't for the life of me know what any of them are from.

Also, in case you noticed and cared, I AM aware that the penguins live in Antarctica-- not in the Arctic... It's part of the joke.


	3. 03 Diagon Alley

OK. First things first. I'm at chapter 3. I've given you three chapters, 9000 words, and consistent updates (once a week, on Saturday)

I've gotten 1 review, and that was from a friend.

Let's fix that, shall we?

Do you like it? Do you hate it?

Seriously, lemme know, 'cause it's really bringing me down that it's not worth a review. Even some constructive criticism would be nice.

Just say something, k?

Chapter 3

Diagon Alley

After Harry and Ron had been down to the vaults to get out some money for books and things they met up with Hermione, who had gone to make sure her parents were all right. She left them with Mr. And Mrs. Weasley at the pub, and together, the three Hogwarts students started walking down Diagon Alley. With their pockets filled with gold, the goods in the store windows seemed to call out to them. In fact, some stores actually bewitched the goods in their store windows to cry out to the wizards and witches passing by. It had been several years since Harry had been there and he seemed overwhelmed with the colours and the people streaming around him.

"Where do we want to hit first?" Harry called back to Ron and Hermione, who were strolling behind him, holding hands.

"I was thinking we should try Flourish and Blotts and get all of our books out of the way. We have an interesting book list this year."

Ron rolled his eyes and said, 'Amazing. Hermione is interested in going to a book store."

"Hush, you" Hermione said as she playfully flicked Ron on the nose.

"Flourish and Blotts it is then." Harry held the door open as Ron and Hermione streamed through and then was stuck as another group of people followed in after them. After standing there stupidly holding the door for people for at least a minute he was finally able to slip in to the store. He found Ron and Hermione looking at a shelf of textbooks.

"You're entirely to nice for your own good. You know that Harry?" Ron commented.

"He was just trying to be polite Ron, that's what civilized people do." Harry did a quick search of his pockets and found his Hogwarts book list. "Let's see; The _Standard Book of Spells, Grade 6_, there's a big surprise."

"I've already got our three of those," called Hermione from the other side of the shelf from Harry and Ron, "What's next?"

"Um . . . _The Art of Self-Transformation_," Harry told her, glancing down at his own list. "And then I'll get us some copies of Randall Shrumm's _Practical Defensive Technique_." They continued on this strain for some time, until Harry randomly asked Hermione "So what book do you need for potions?"

"I've already got that one." She pointed to a book entitled _NEWT Level Potions_, which was, unfortunately, written by Severus Snape.

"Figures that the conceited git would make everyone use his own book." Ron commented snidely. "He seems, sometimes, to think that he's the only person capable of brewing a potion properly, aside from his little pet, Malfoy."

"Well, I think that's all of the books we need for classes, then. Do you want to look around for anything else? I've got a couple of things that I want to see in here before I leave."

"What's this? Harry Potter looking for books? Why, I think Hermione's having a bit too much influence on you, Harry. How can you do this? I thought you were on my side!" Ron was complaining, as usual, about having to stay in the bookstore longer than absolutely necessary, though a fair bit more jokingly than in previous years.

This said, the trio again split up, this time wandering among the shelves for some time. Ron, as per usual, walked directly over to the section about quidditch, which was conveniently located next to a small shelf dedicated to wizarding chess stratagems, sure to keep him occupied long enough for Harry and Hermione to find what they wanted. Hermione wandered off into the maze of shelves. Harry, however, was not as acquainted with the bookstore, and decided to get help finding what all he needed. Thus, he went up to the front desk and asked for assistance.

"I'm looking to make some purchases, and would like some help to find what I need. Is there any simple way to find what I need, or will I need an assistant?"

"It's simple enough. Just write down on the parchment stack over to my left what topic you're looking for, and tear off that piece. It's enchanted to glow whenever you approach the correct section. If you're looking for lots of different types of books, you may just want to take an entire roll of parchment, rather than having to come back each time."

Thus, Harry meandered over to the parchment, took a roll, and first wrote down 'Potions.' He thought to himself _If I'm going to be an auror, I still need to take the NEWT test, even if I can't take the class. I'll have to prepare myself as best as possible._ Then, he began to walk around the stacks, holding the parchment in front of him. He soon found the shelf he was looking for, and grabbed a few books off the shelf, including one on potions theory, and one about potions of the past, of which some didn't even have an existing recipe anymore. Satisfied about these selections, he continued on to his other needs. 'Arithmancy' was next on his parchment, soon followed by 'Ancient Runes' and then he found the section for defense, getting a few more books about duelling, defensive manoeuvring, and countering counter-jinxes. After that he randomly found a book on the theories of silent spell casting that he decided looked interesting.

He wandered around the bookstore for a while longer, seeing if anything caught his eye. He saw a special expanded edition of _Hogwarts, a History_ with new in depth chapters about the founders of Hogwarts. It would be amusing to have a more up to date copy of the book than Hermione had. And now she would finally get off his back for never reading it, assuming he got around to it with all the things he had planned for this coming year. He then wandered around for a bit longer, picking up a few other books before deciding he should go ahead and make his purchase so he could catch up with Ron and Hermione.

He went and got in the growing queue for the checkout before it grew longer. _It's very crowded in here today,_ he mused, and then he was checking out. As he walked towards the door, he heard Ron laughing, and instead went to find his friend.

He found him a moment later, laughing his head off at Professor Snape, sitting at a table in the corner, and signing copies of his book. There weren't too many people in line for a signature. Many people knew Snape by reputation, either from having known him when he was in school, or by their children's horror stories about his class. However, there were a few people trying to get signatures. Most of the people around Snape, though, were simply students laughing at him. For a moment, Harry felt sorry for Snape. He knew what it was like to be goaded for trying to do things. Grabbing Ron away, he simply muttered, "Let's go," before turning and looking for Hermione.

"Oy, Harry. Don't you want to have a go at the smarmy bugger? He thinks he's so important, wanting to sign peoples' books!"

Behind Ron and Harry, Snape had come up, having seen the swath of red hair indicating a Weasley. He stopped, stunned to silence, when he heard Harry's response.

"Ron, grow up a bit, will you? It's not our business what Snape wants to do. If people want his signature, that's their business. If he wants to sign things, that's his business. We need to find Hermione. That should be our business right now."

It turned out that Hermione had already made her purchases, and was sitting in a chair near the exit, reading one of her new books. Glancing at the cover, Harry discovered it was another copy of the book about apparating.

"I think you'll like that book. It's got some very good details about the theory of apparition. It was quite interesting, and surprisingly easy to read." Both Hermione and Ron goggled at Harry.

"You mean you've read this already?" came Hermione's astounded response, though it was nearly drowned out by Ron's "Why the bloody hell would you want to read a book like that?" Amused, Harry simply replied, "I think it's about time we went to pick up your parents, Hermione. I know, let's all go out to lunch. Ron, why don't you go find your siblings, and I'll go with Hermione to get her parents, and we can all eat at that new restaurant, Bertie Bott's. I know it's a bit scary that you can get dinner from a place that makes vomit jelly beans, but I think it looks rather classy, and I'm sure it'll be fun."

Nodding his assent, Ron turned to go back down the alley towards _Quality Quidditch Supplies_, saying that Ginny would probably have wanted to go there, and so her parents would be there too. Hermione and Harry turned the other way, walked towards the exit of the alley, where they could find the entrance to the Leaky Cauldron.

On the way, Harry noticed a familiar face looking up at him from a discarded copy of the _Daily Prophet_.

**Harry Potter to receive order of Merlin**

Harry Potter and 5 other Hogwarts students protect ministry

When Harry saw this, he nearly laughed. He couldn't believe it. Then, he realised that the ministry probably now knew that they wanted Dumbledore, and therefore Harry, on their side, and were aiming to please.

_Several weeks ago, Harry Potter, the boy who lived, along with five other Hogwarts students (whose names, at this time, have not been released) found several Death Eaters in the Department of Mysteries, and proceeded to duel with said Death Eaters until the arrival of Ministry Aurors Nymphadora Tonks, Kingsley Shacklebolt, and Alastor Moody, as well as several others who then took over the duelling. However, one Bellatrix Lestrange had managed to escape from the aurors, and Harry Potter followed her and duelled with her in the Ministry's Atrium. As they duelled, both Albus Dumbledore and The Dark Lord appeared on the floor, where they proceeded to duel, after which the Dark Lord disapparated from the building. _

_Only one casualty was reported during this incident: that of Notorious Mass Murderer Sirius Black, whose conviction has come under review in light of these new circumstances. Harry Potter was a good friend of Black's, and, indeed, should his name be cleared, most of the Black estate will be granted to Mr. Potter when he comes of age. (see Sirius: Black as he's painted? On page 3)_

Harry and his friends will all be receiving an order of Merlin, Second Class for their services in the Ministry, and Harry Potter, along with Albus Dumbledore, will be receiving pensions from the Ministry as compensation for the supposed Scandal last year, involving said two, now found to be completely untrue.

"Well," said Harry "at least I'm not 'the boy who went nutters' anymore."

"Oh Harry. I thought you would have seen that already. That's from almost two weeks ago. Aren't you getting a copy of the Prophet like I told you to?"

Harry, however, wasn't listening.

"It says 'if he's cleared.' If he's cleared, I get the estate. Hermione?"

"Yes, Harry?"

"Does this mean that Sirius has been cleared?"

She grinned maniacally. "Of all charges."

Harry let out a loud 'whoop' in excitement, ceasing only when he realised that he was drawing a lot more attention that he liked. "Come on, Harry," Hermione began pulling him away. "Let's go find my parents."

When they found them, Harry was finally properly introduced. "Now Harry, I know you've met before, but these are my parents, Hazel and Paul. Mum, Dad, this is my friend, Harry Potter."

"So, you're the young man that leads my daughter into all of this trouble she gets into." Paul wasn't a very large man, but he exuded confidence, much to Harry's dismay. "I'm not sure I appreciate someone with such disregard to my daughter."

Harry, severely intimidated, and quite a bit remorseful in the first place, struggled to respond as his eyes filled with tears. "I… I didn't want it to happen… I never wanted any of it. It just hap—happens. I do care for Hermione. She's like the sister I never had. I don't want her to be hurt. I…I…"

Paul was at a loss for words. "Calm down, boy. I didn't really mean it. I was just trying to goad you. I didn't mean to actually try to make you feel guilty."

"Paul! I'm surprised at you. Hermione TOLD you that he's had problems this summer with guilt--over the death of his godfather. If you'll remember, that's why we're here today."

"Oh! I feel so stupid. Please forgive me, Harry. I appreciate the effort you put into protecting my daughter when you get into these… situations. I don't hold you responsible in the slightest, young man. From what Hermione tells me, I actually owe you a good deal of gratitude and respect."

Harry, now run back down his road of despair, merely responded "Respect? Why do I deserve respect? I'm like a malignant virus. All I do is cause problems and get people killed. It's like a target. You're more likely to hit something close than actually hit the bull's-eye. Hermione's probably in more danger than I am, and it's all my fault, because she's my friend. What have I done to deserve respect?"

Both Hermione and Molly were becoming more livid as Harry spoke. Once he'd given them the chance to interrupt, they both dug into him fiercely.

It was Molly that started. "Do you mean to say that you think saving my daughter's life wasn't worth anything? Are you insinuating that she's not important? You, and you alone, saved her. She'd be dead without you. That's not nothing."

Hermione picked it up with, "You've stopped Voldemort on countless occasions. That alone has saved hundred if not thousands of lives, simply by delaying his return as long as you did."

"You brought back Cedric's body, when no one else would have done so in your position."

"You stand up for your beliefs and what's right. You help others when they need it. Look at the DA. You've done amazing things simply by teaching us what we needed to know when the ministry saw fit to deprive us."

"You saved Sirius and Buckbeak both in your third year—"

Here, Harry interrupted, scathingly replying "Well that only worked out for two years, before I got him killed myself!"

"Now Harry!" This time, it was Arthur who spoke up. "We've made mistakes; all of us. You couldn't help what happened, so stop living in your world of pity. Mr. Granger here meant no harm, and you should simply accept how things are. Now, you came here for a reason?"

Calming down a bit, Harry meekly responded, "I was actually… intending to take you all to lunch. I wanted some time to speak with all of you before I left again, and I also wanted the chance to get to know Hermione's parents better. I suppose the invitation would have left a better impression than my blubbering. I'm truly sorry."

"It's fine, Harry. Oh, the boys are here!' Arthur said as George, Fred, and Ron approached the group.

"Hi, Harry" the twins said in almost perfect unity. They both laughed.

"They've been doing that a lot lately. It's getting rather annoying."

"Aww… poor Ron's poor little brain can't handle more than one person speaking at once, it confuses ickle Ronniekins." George said, laughing.

Then as Ron grew red in the face, Fred managed to squeeze out between guffaws, Fred added, "See? His brain is overheating."

"Fred, George, stop tormenting your brother," Molly called over their laughing. Ron started calming down, though it didn't help that Harry and Hermione were still chuckling in the background.

After things had gotten settled, the group turned back down Diagon Alley towards Bertie Bott's. When everyone saw where Harry was taking them, all stopped in horror, except for Ron and Hermione, who had already known what was to come, and Hermione's parents, as they were clueless as to the origin of the name. However, after a moment of consideration, all walked inside. Once within, they found themselves faced with a simple door with the words 'Please, enter' engraved along the top.

Slightly confused, the group heeded the demand, and found themselves in a narrow hall, with another door on the end. On this door, however, the words were 'please continue'. When they did so, they found a table with ten chairs, plates, and menus.

The confused occupants suddenly heard a voice within the room. "Please be seated. If you need anything, please call for me. My name is Franz. When you are ready to place an order, please simply state your desired dish, and it will be presented shortly. If you need a restroom, in can be found through the door opposite me." With that, he abruptly turned and walked out the door behind him, previously unnoticed by the clan at the table.

"I suppose the purpose of the hall was to count us, and provide us with a room fitted for our group size. It's quite impressive, actually," was Arthur's amused response. Hermione's parents seemed a bit dazed at the concept of a room counting for itself, but Harry, more than anyone else, was pleased at this development.

"Good. I'm very glad that they give us private rooms. I don't like being in public much anyways, and talking in it even less. It'll be nice to not have people crawling over me for a quote. Talking freely is something that I'll never take for granted again." Here he seemed to think for a second. "Now," he said, turning to the Grangers, "I believe you have some things that you wanted to talk about. I don't know how much Hermione may have told you, so would you prefer we started at the beginning, or do you have any specific questions as to why death is my next-door neighbour and my closest acquaintance?"

&&&&&

AN

One of my friends wrote part of this chapter. He doesn't want his name on here, but I figured I'd let you all know that just a little bit of this isn't mine.

And CLICK THAT REVIEW BUTTON! kthnxbai ;;

Also, a bit of beta would be nice. I like to think I'm pretty good at catching these things (I'm a great beta) but when you're the one that writes it, you can't catch everything, because you read what you meant, not what you said. So really, a bit of a beta, please?


	4. 04 Catching Snitches and Trains

The chapter's a bit shorter this time. That seems to be the way the newer chapters are going. It just seems to be the best place to stop and put a little break in.

Also, because I seem to have forgotten. **disclaimed** It's not mine, not that you didn't know that already

Chapter 4

Catching Snitches and Trains

Several hours later, feeling pleasantly full and having had several quite difficult discussions, they moved on to the hardest topic yet.

Who was going to pay the bill?

Harry insisted that he had wanted to treat them to lunch, but Paul wanted to pay to apologise for his upsetting Harry earlier, and Molly didn't want one of her boys to have to be 'financially responsible' for her. The decision was made, however, when Harry put the galleons onto the table and walked out the door.

Unfortunately for Harry, he walked into the bathroom.

Sheepishly, he turned around, walked back through the room, fully of chuckles from Ron and Hermione, and blatant sniggering from the twins, and walked outside.

Once outside, he stopped to wait for everyone to join him. The twins were the first to reach him, Ron and Hermione close behind. Mrs. Weasley walked out of the restaurant looking a bit upset, but her husband seemed to be in the process of calming her down. Once they had all gathered outside, Harry asked where they should go next. Quality Quidditch Supplies was the general consensus. Even Hermione's parents were interested, after having heard so much about the sport. There was a bit of a crowd in the store, though that wasn't too unusual. The group simply assumed that there had been a new release, until they realised that it was mainly younger students and children in the store, who seemed to be running after something. Harry dismissed them, and began to look at the new brooms.

Harry was looking at the newest broom on the market, a Cleansweep nine, and noticing its improvements over older versions. Though it was nowhere near as high-class as the Firebolt, Harry was still interested to see the innovation. He was just comparing it to the Comet 340 when he heard the familiar fluttering of wings. He turned on reflex and grabbed the snitch before he had even realised what it was. He then looked down to see a group of children staring at him in awe, though some looked a bit disappointed.

"He caught it without even looking!" one child exclaimed.

Another was quick to add in, "He must have cheated."

Harry was still quite confused until the man who owned the store came of to him. "Congratulations, young man! You've won! That little blighter has been flying around the store for three weeks and you're the first person to catch him. I must say I'm quite impressed. I saw that you weren't even looking at the snitch when you grabbed it. You have quite a talent." He was shaking Harry's hand. "Well, as promoted, for catching the snitch you get 15 off any purchase you make within…" Here he trailed off, finally realising to whom he was speaking, having finally seen the tell-tale scar.

"Mr. Potter! What a pleasant surprise! I must say, when I began this promotion I didn't think it would be so far-reaching!" He continued on excitedly at the prospect of doing a bit of promotions with Harry Potter, before he was quietly interrupted.

"Excuse me sir, but I really don't need it. Instead, why don't we make it 25, and I can cover the difference. I'd feel horrible about taking an extra 15 off when I don't really need it. This way, I don't feel bad, and you still get a promotional offer."

"You'd do that! FANTASTIC!" The man was more pleased than ever. "Oh! Excuse me Mr. Potter. Ignatius Llewellyn at your service. I would be quite glad to take you up on your offer, Mr. Potter. It is a pleasure indeed. Also, if at any time you would like some individual consultation, don't hesitate to ask." He thanked Harry again and went back to mingling with the customers. Harry released the snitch, and watched the younger children run after it once again.

Harry began perusing some of the higher-end models, and paid particular attention to a new line of brooms tailored specifically for different positions. In the end, he didn't find much of interest until he saw a book about enchanting brooms and common spells therein. He paid for that, and then he and everyone else went to the apothecary to replenish potions supplies.

Hermione, of course, immediately set about getting what she'd need for her potions class, but when Harry started to grab some ingredients as well, Ron goggled. "Blimey, Harry. What are you doing? We've finally gotten out of the bloody class. Why are you getting potions ingredients?"

"Ron, just because I'm not good enough for Snape doesn't mean I'm no good at all. I simply plan on continuing to learn to brew potions. Anyways, I think I'll do better if I don't have him bothering me. I'm just going for some practical experience anyway. It can't hurt, can it?" There. He'd said it. He was going to damn Snape and learn potions anyway. Ron was stunned, but Hermione wholeheartedly approved.

"I'm glad that you've finally started taking an interest in your education. Hopefully you'll be able to do better without Snape, and even if you don't, it'll be invaluable experience to work on this on your own, or with help that isn't a teacher." Harry took this as Hermione's way of offering her help should he ever require or request it, and smiled.

"Oi Ron!" One of the twins was calling out. "If you're not careful, Hermione may run away with the stunningly handsome chap with green eyes, here. He seems to be her nerdish type, though we're a bit disappointed in him…"

Here the other broke in, "Yes, we thought we had taught him better than to actually _learn_ things on his own. And besides, he's supposed to be Ginny's."

At this, Ginny tripped, and Harry nearly dropped the phial of acromantula venom at which he had been looking. Harry blushed a bit, but nonetheless replied "Oh, so I'm Ginny's, am I? I'm just some insignificant thing, George, to be given away with no free will?"

Ginny joined in Harry's little attack on the twins, drawing her wand. "What was that, boys? I don't get a say in this? How chauvinistic of you to declare who will and will not be mine. You'd better keep an eye out while you sleep tonight."

Fred gulped, and looked at Harry, the only place he had to turn. "Sorry Fred, but you and your brother opened your mouth, and now you'll suffer the consequences.

"But, how can you tell us apart?"

&&&&&

Later that afternoon, shopping complete, the group sat down to a quiet meal at the Leaky Cauldron. They ate, peaceably conversing about the day, and how they were expecting the year at Hogwarts to turn out. Things were going well, and Harry was quite content, for once. He turned to Mr. Weasley, once everyone was about finished, and asked him, "How am I getting to Hogwarts, anyway?"

Mr. Weasley stopped to look at Harry, shocked, and then quickly jumped up from his chair. "Blimey, Harry! Why didn't you remind me sooner? We're supposed to be at King's Cross by now, so you can ride the Express!" Harry almost couldn't reply.

"You mean I've missed my ride to Hogwarts?" Harry started scrambling around, gathering his things while shouting, "well how am I supposed to get to King's Cross now?" He ran around, trying to make sure he had everything of his, and after a few frantic minutes, asked Ron why he wasn't helping. When he heard Ron laughing at him, he got even more upset. "This isn't funny, Ron. I've most likely missed my ride to Hogwarts, meaning I'm exposed to Death Eaters and don't have anywhere to stay!"

"Relax, Harry. Dad was pulling your leg. The twins put him up to it hours ago. They've been waiting for you to ask since before we started eating." Ron was still chuckling at his worried friend.

Harry stopped for a second to look around. Not only was everyone else still at the table, but they were all laughing at him, too. The twins and Ginny were laughing hardest of all; George had managed to fall out of his chair.

"Sorry, Harry," Mr. Weasley began, "but I just couldn't help it. The look on your face! Besides, Harry, you should know by now that you'll always have a place at the Burrow, should you need it." Here Mrs. Weasley nodded vociferously.

Now that Harry had calmed down, he began to laugh as well. "I can't believe I fell for that. Well I feel ridiculous! I should know that you wouldn't let me be late for something like that. So, how am I really getting to Hogwarts?"

"Well, Harry. I have this little portkey here," and at this point he pulled out a bottle of butterbeer, "just for you. You can drink it, if you'd like, actually. The bottle is set to take you to the headmaster's office in about twenty minutes. You've got plenty of time to get your things in order and to say goodbye."

Harry spent the next few minutes finishing getting his things together, and once he was set, he went around to talk to everyone again.

"Well, Mr. and Mrs. Granger, it was very nice to meet you. I hope both that you've enjoyed your day, and that I'll see you again soon." He turned to Hermione. "'Mione," and this he whispered, "be nice to Ron. Remember to consider his 'emotional range of a teaspoon.'" He chuckled, and she blushed. He turned and said goodbye to Mr. and Mrs. Weasley, after being hugged almost viciously, and got a nice cuff on the back from the twins, laughing at him once again. He said goodbye to Ron, gave Ginny an small hug, and went back over to his stuff.

"Cheers!" He said, and popped open the bottle. "To the next great year, and the next great adventure!" He chugged down the butterbeer, and disappeared.

&&&&&

AN

Not much to say on this one. Although I must admit that I'm really doubting I'll finish, as it's not getting a very warm reception, by which I mean that I've only gotten reviews from people I actually know.

sigh


	5. 05 Dumbledore's Office

Maybe If I post a few extra chappies this week, it will encourage you to give me some input.

Chapter 5

Dumbledore's Office

Seconds later, Harry landed in Dumbledore's office, and fell on his face.

"You'd think, Harry, that after all these years, you'd be able to do that without falling." Dumbledore's amused chuckling came from behind Harry.

Harry quickly stood up, and was glad to be able to pull out his wand to pick up his things, which had gone astray on his appalling landing, while mumbling "I managed it this morning". Stopping, he glanced at Dumbledore.

"Go ahead, Harry. You're at Hogwarts. It's perfectly all right." Harry proceeded to gather his things with a few flicks of his wrist. "Harry, I wish to speak with you. Now, I understand if you are reticent to speak with me, but I feel it urgent that we discuss some things. Perhaps you would like to ease into simpler discussions, first? Oh! Would you care for a lemon drop?" He sighed when the proffered candy was rejected, as always. "Perhaps we should discuss your OWL scores? I saw that you had done very well. You passed all of your classes other than History of Magic, didn't you? Of course, I'm quite understanding as to what happened there." Harry had had a vision of Voldemort during his History of Magic final, and thus didn't finish. "I noticed, surprisingly, that you did particularly well in Divination. I wasn't aware that you had any natural capacity for the art." Dumbledore's eyes were twinkling.

"I'd think it was obvious I had no capacity for the art when I showed up at the ministry last month. If I had been any good at divination at all I wouldn't have been so stupid."

"Harry. Don't get upset with yourself. Didn't you learn anything today, with that portrait? I thought you'd gotten past this. Harry, divination isn't infallibility, so don't blame yourself for making a mistake."

"It's not because I made a mistake. Yes, I mean, I did, but that's not why it hurt so much. It's because she told me. Hermione TOLD me that I was making a mistake, and I didn't listen."

"Harry, how many times have I not listened to you? We know now, and I know now, that that was a mistake. We're none of us perfect. We just have to learn to learn from our mistakes."

Harry was still angry, both at himself and with Dumbledore, but he began to realise the sense in what Dumbledore was saying. He could never be perfect, but he could work to perfect himself. It was just a matter of time, and even then, he'd still make mistakes. Dumbledore still makes mistakes, but even Harry had to admit that he seemed to make fewer mistakes than most.

"Now Harry, shall we continue our discussion of OWL scores? Is there anything you'd have a question about?"

"Actually… Astronomy. How did I pass that one at all? I know I didn't finish, because of the incident with Hagrid."

"Well, the testing committee took that into account. As there was a serious disturbance during your tests, they graded that test according to the median scores, rather than an independent standard. They gave extra points for things that most people missed and things like that. I can understand that you didn't do as well as some others, considering your friendship with Hagrid. I also noticed that your Charms score was exceptional. You did quite well, overall. So, what classes would you like to take? I would assume that you'll continue in classes such as Defense Against the Dark Arts, Charms, and Transfiguration. I'd also like you to resume occlumency training." Here, he held up a hand to stall Harry's interruption. "Don't worry, Harry. I have spoken with Professor Snape, and though I will be teaching your personally until the beginning of term, we have decided that our new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher will be quite able to teach you once school begins." He chuckled.

"I was about to say," Harry began, "I just got out of his classes for potions. You're not going to get me into another class of his!"

"Harry, you do realise that he can't actually keep you out of a class like that? As long as you actually _pass_ your OWL in a subject, you're allowed to take the NEWT course. However, in NEWT classes, the teacher can request that you drop the class if they feel you aren't performing up to their standards. Just because you got an E on your Potions exam doesn't mean you can't take the NEWT course. What he should have said was something closer to 'I only accept students performing at an Outstanding level in my NEWT Potions class."

"Oh," was all Harry managed to say.

"Oh, indeed. Would you like to try your hand at potions again?"

"Well, sir. I had intended to take the NEWT anyway, in his class or not. I bought plenty of extra materials to be able to keep up with where the class was. Hermione is taking it, so it wouldn't have been too difficult for me to know what they were doing. I planned on working on it in my free time. If I can take the class, it won't be a problem. I'll just have to work hard enough to do everything perfectly. Doubtless he'll use any excuse to get me out of his class."

"Now Harry. I know that you and Professor Snape don't exactly get along, but I'll make sure to have a talk with him before school starts, and I shall make sure that before any decisions regarding whether or not you'll be allowed to stay in that class. If you feel you're being treated unfairly in any way, just make sure to tell Professor McGonagall or myself. We will do our utmost to ensure that everything stays fair.

Thank you, Professor. I guess I'll take Potions, Transfiguration, Charms, and Defense Against the Dark Arts. I'm allowed to take six classes, right? Is my occlumency training going to be a class period, or at night?"

"Yes, Harry. Most students are encouraged to take no more than six NEWT classes. I do believe that your occlumency training will have to be at night. There has been an abnormally large portion of students this year to pass their Defense Against the Dark Arts OWL with an 'outstanding' score, no doubt thanks to our wonderful professor last year." Dumbledore's eyes were, of course, twinkling at Harry. "Sadly, it also had the most students failing the exam in Hogwarts history, so we've been pushed to create two separate sections this year. The Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher will be teaching both a NEWT DADA class, but also a remedial section for those who wish it. This means that the professor will have even less time than those of previous years.

"Harry, I would like to ask you to continue, and expand, your 'Defense Association' this year. As evidenced by the OWL results, your practicing sessions went far beyond what Hogwarts classes did, last year. Students in your study group not only achieved better scores in exams in Defense Against the Dark Arts, but showed a significantly higher set of scores in Transfiguration and Charms exams, as well. You yourself managed to get an O in Charms and an E in Transfiguration. I ask that you again offer your practice sessions to _anyone,_" and Dumbledore stressed this word, "who desires to attend. The Defense professor will oversee your meetings."

Harry saw no problem in this, because even if those in Slytherin House were allowed to join the meetings, none of them ever would. They'd fear retribution from their own house too much to allow it. "I think I can manage that, Professor."

"I'm glad to hear it, Harry, but I must caution you. You must be willing to be fair to any students that sign up for your meetings. That includes any students against whom you may hold grudges, or whose parents are death eaters. I will not condemn a child for the mistakes of their parents. This is very important, Harry."

Though Harry didn't exactly like what he was hearing, he understood that what Dumbledore was saying was important. Grudgingly, he nodded.

"My! How we manage to get off subject. We seem to do this quite well. Well, we've decided on four of your classes. With your training for the DA, as well as your lessons in occlumency, I am willing to allow you to take a free period this year, and only take five courses."

"Well, Professor, I do think that I'll only take five classes, actually. I think I'll keep Care of Magical Creatures, as well." Harry was thinking that it would be quite easy to keep up with his other studies outside of class. How much of herbology or astronomy required practical knowledge? He'd just get a little practice in the greenhouses before testing and, since he still had his telescope, he could learn just as well from the Owlery, or even from Gryffindor Tower. His thoughts strayed to the time-turner he had found, and he knew it would be getting good use.

"At least we've managed to get that settled. It has gotten rather late, hasn't it, my boy? Perhaps it is time we found the arms of Morpheus? I know that there is still much to discuss, but perhaps it would be better suited for the breakfast table? We could further discuss the dynamics of the DA, if you would wish, or perhaps your schedule for occlumency training before the school year starts. I know that one Nymphadora Tonks wishes to speak with you before lunch, tomorrow. Something, I believe, about errant relatives? I'm not happy with what has occurred on Privet Drive today, but as it's been taken over by the Department of Magical Law Enforcement, I do believe there's little I can do. Perhaps a medium can be reached. Whether it is happy or not will, of course, be rather relative, if you'll excuse the pun." Dumbledore's eyes twinkled infuriatingly and placatingly at the same time. "Still, that is for tomorrow to decide. Now, we should both be off to bed. I know I'm far too old to be up this late." Again, the twinkling. "Well, Harry, I suppose I shall see you in the morning. Pleasant dreams, Harry."

Harry felt the need to cut Dumbledore off before he disappeared into his rooms. "Where am I staying? Where are the rest of my things, such as my clothes and things?"

"Oh dear. I did forget, didn't I? Oh, and we need to schedule a day for you and Remus to go shopping, don't we? I suppose what you've got will have to do for now. As for where you're sleeping, I thought you could just set up in the Head Boy's room. You know where that is, right? On the fourth floor? It's just more convenient for the summer than Gryffindor Tower, being closer the both the Great Hall and my office, not to mention the prefect's bathroom. You should go in there, sometime. It's quite nice. I myself have found myself quite particular to the purple, scented bubbles that come from the eighteenth tap from the right." Harry shook his head at the headmaster's minor soliloquy. "Then again, I've managed to find a discussion more fitting for another time. Good night, Harry."

Harry bade the headmaster goodnight and slowly meandered towards his rooms. Once inside, he took in the warm colouring, and the fire crackling merrily in its grate. It was only as Harry lay down in his voluptuous four-poster that he realised that after all of his argumentative monologues and rants in his head, the headmaster had managed to keep him from getting angry even once. In typical teenage fashion, Harry vowed to be twice as angry in the morning.


End file.
